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The Chronicles of Valyria,

Book 1 Resurrection

Chapter 36

The Battle for Meereen, part two

"So this is him Ivan?" Aurora asked from atop her black destrier.

"Ivan nodded and said, "He is, This is Yagathai, of the great People of the Sky Serpent."

"Is he now?" Gabrielle asked curiously, "And where, if I might ask did that name come from?"

With a knowing grin Ivan replied, "I think that's a story for another time, right now we should move into the city and secure the last bastion of Slaver's Bay before we stay out here all night."

"He's right," Aurora added, before addressing Yagathai, "Follow us to the Great Pyramid, you'll have a room there and we all want to hear your story."

"Yes Lady," the Sothoryi said with a nod and when they moved on, he followed them into the city.

They led their army through the massive stone gatehouse and into one of the largest cities of the known world. The one-hundred foot tall harpies on both sides of the gates looked down on them with a stern face. If their purpose was to intimidate any would be invaders, then they failed miserably as not a single heart in the army was intimidated by their gaze.

As the army marched on, units split off from the main column to spread out around the city and aid the Ironborn and Pit fighters to keep order until the light of dawn returned. Contrary to Astapor and Yunkai, the slaves of Meereen had been warned by Oberyn that the masters would be punished in their time and no breaches of public order would be tolerated. Any slaves who tried to perform vigilante justice on the former masters or any others would be punished by having done upon them what they themselves would inflict on their victims.

This rule had sounded harsh to some of the generals, but Aurora had been adamant that it be given as they could not allow a city of still well over three quarters of a million inhabitants to decent into anarchy and chaos.

When they reached the Great Pyramid, Aurora posted a watch drawn from those who had been in the reserves and ordered everyone else to bed or to hospitals if they were wounded. They had lost too many soldiers already and she was not eager to lose any more of their valuable manpower.

Together with her wife, Ivan and Francine, Valaya and Yagathai, Aurora entered the walled-off garden around the pyramid. Taking a look around, she focused all of her senses to detect any possible eavesdroppers or sneak-a-peaks and when she found none she said, "Grab a hold."

When Yagathai looked confused, Aurora said with a grin, "Watch." Gabrielle took a stance opposite from Ivan and Valaya and after taking their hands, she crouched down before jumping up skywards. As she jumped, she spread her wings and flew upwards to the top of the tower.

Yagathai looked open mouthed and in utter shock as the trio vanished in the dark night sky. When he looked back to Aurora and Francine, he saw them already holding hands and both extending their free ones to him. He quickly grasped their outstretched hands and Aurora copied her wife as she jumped up and spread her wings.

It took them one and a half minute to reach the top of the pyramid and as soon as Aurora landed on the upper terrace, she and Francine led go of his hands. Yagathai fell to his hands and knees and pressed his face flat on the marble floor and started chanting.

"Goddess from the sky, Goddess from the sky, Goddess from the sky…" as he kept chanting, the three Ladies looked at Ivan with a look that said, 'Explain please'.

With a grin Ivan began his explanation, "He comes from a civilization which inhabits a large part of western Sothoryos that is a kind of a mix between the Aztecs and the Vikings from back home. Apparently some 1.500 years ago a Valyrian dragon rider flew over their lands and stopped at their capital city. The dragon did some rather naughty stuff and killed a few dozen of their greatest champions. Their civilization worshipped strength, so ever since, they have worshipped the dragons and they have waited for the dragons to return to lead them into, and I'm quoting him here; 'a glorious campaign of righteous slaughter that will drown the known world in a tide of blood and fire."

"Sweat," both Aurora and Gabrielle said in unison while Francine and Valaya face-palmed themselves.

"So…," Aurora began, still having a slightly maniacal grin on her face while looking down on Yagathai who was still chanting on the floor. "let me get this straight, we show up at his city, as dragons, and then his entire civilization will join us, voluntarily?"

"Not exactly," Ivan said with a nonchalant shrug before adding with a mischievous grin, "You'll have to prove that you really are 'gods,' and all. Also we'll probably have to wipe out a few rivals of them, maybe indulge them in a few cannibalistic blood rites, some dark stuff yada, yada, yada, but after all that then yes, they will join us."

"Great," Aurora said cheerfully, "that's settled then, when we're done with all this we're gonne have ourselves a right proper party." With a slightly darker undertone she added, "It has been to long since I've been able to really let myself go and I'm…."

Her words were interrupted by the softest of sounds, a bare foot moving over the dust in an archway twenty yards away. All five instantly were at alert, and as one they shot towards the archway, leaving Yagathai to his chanting.

Gabrielle was the first through the arch and within a second she and the other Valyrians had cornered a small boy, not even ten name-days old. He was filthy and underfed, but his eyes were watchful, while to a less observant person they would appear skittish.

Upon seeing that it was a child, all sheathed their weapons and Gabrielle knelt down to his level. Using the local Bastard Valyrian, Gabrielle asked on a friendly tone, "Hello there, what are you doing here?"

The boy's eyes flicked between the adults before him but before he could answer, Gabrielle asked on the same gentle tone, "Did The Spider, Lord Varys, ask you to look out for us?"

The boy nodded mutely and Gabrielle continued, "Well you have done an excellent job at that." Are there any more of your friends in this city?"

The boy nodded again and with a smile Gabrielle looked up to Valaya, "You go with her and show her to where your friends are, together you bring them all back here to the Great Pyramid and I'll make sure the cooks make something delicious for you all. Such good work as you have done has to be rewarded.

The boy looked wide-eyed at this, judging from his skinny appearance he hadn't eaten well in a long time, and he stood up. Taking Valaya by the hand he started to pull her away and only stopped when Gabrielle said, "Valaya, stop at the kitchens first and tell them to prepare dinner for him and his friends, so that it will be ready when you come back." Valaya nodded and let herself be dragged away into the pyramid, leaving the others behind on the terrace.

During all this Yagathai had kept on with his chanting and only stopped when Ivan kicked him against his upper leg. He stood up and went to stare in reverence at the two ladies until Ivan slapped him on the back and said, "You okay Yaga, not to shocked to come face-to-face with your 'gods'?"

The Sothoryi still looked shell-shocked but was recovered enough to say, "They are the Gods, Ivan. If you don't see them for what they are, then what are you?"

"I don't know," Ivan shrugged with a mischievous grin," Demi-God maybe? What do your legends say exactly?"

If he had known what sarcasm was, Yagathai would be rolling his eyes right now but he settled for simply going to explain while Ivan quickly signaled the others to gather round them.

The Sothoryi sat himself down cross-legged as the others took a seat on a stone bench. Just as he was about to start his story, Gabrielle held up her hand and said, "Wait just a second," She snapped her fingers and instantly the entire terrace, safe a circle a half dozen yards around them, was engulfed in sapphire flames. "This'll stop anymore we don't want to hear what you'll have to say. Now please, Yagathai, tell us the story."

The man nodded and began,

"Long ago, in the times of the first nights, my people were awakened in the Bloodied Jungle by the Great Serpent of the Sky. Using his magic he shaped my people from the blood of the earth and with his fiery breath he gave us life and purpose. We live to please the gods with acts of glorious battle. The blood we shed feeds the earth and makes it grow strong and bloom. The flesh we eat from the bodies of our slain enemies feeds the Great Serpent of the Sky.

For many thousands of season-cycles this went on, our sacrifices and offerings keeping the earth healthy and strong. But one day, a child of the Great Serpent of the Sky came down to our capital. As the Great Serpent demanded, our greatest champions challenged his child and its rider until they left. Having consecrated the grounds with their blood, that place now houses our greatest temple. Since that day, our priests have sometimes had a dream, always the same one.

Far, far in the north, in a wasteland of endless white, an enormous army, larger than anything the world has ever seen, wages an unending battle against the cursed undead. As numerous as the living are, their numbers paled by those of the dead. Their hordes stretched from horizon to horizon, and their end was not to be seen for many miles distant.

High in the frozen air, the children of the Great Serpent of the Sky danced a dance of Ice and Fire against their frozen counters. On the icy earth, the Great Serpent's champions led the living against the dead. Six champions led his forces; the first and highest two are the greatest of his children. The third and fourth are a demon of slaughter and a beautiful huntress without compare. The last two are unknown, the fifth will lead our people in this war and will rule with an iron fist. The last is a Prince, a Prince of promise with a sword of fire, black as night.

Every priest has had this dream at least once, and every season cycle, our greatest warriors travel out in search of these champions. And now I …" he seemed overmanned by emotion and reverence as he looked from one to the other.

"And now you think you have found the first four." Ivan completed his sentence softly as they all thought about his story.

"Yes," Yagathai nodded slowly, "What else can I think? I have seen you fight Ivan, I have seen those two fly, what else can I think?"

"He's got a point there Ivy," Francine said as she pressed herself against his side before suppressing a yawn, "Now I don't know about you guys, but we have all been up for two days straight and I'm exhausted. I want to find a bed, screw my husband silly, and then sleep for twelve hours straight."

"That actually sounds like a good plan," Aurora emulated her yawn before shooting a lecherous smile at her wife, who surprised a little sigh before saying with a wink,

"All right, but just a quickie, Francine is right. It's late and we're all tired."

This caused a round of laughter before Aurora doused the fire and the group headed into the pyramid to find themselves a few bedrooms for the night.

XXX

They were woken at an hour before sunrise by a rather out-of-breath Oberyn who loudly banged on their door. They had hung their capes on a hook outside the door to show where they were and now the Prince of Dorne was doing his best impression of trying to kick their door in.

With a grumble Aurora got out of bed, put a silk robe around her nude body and unbolted the door. As she opened the door she rubbed her eyes and growled, "You had better have a damn good reason for waking us this early Oberyn."

"I do," he replied with a somber face. "It would appear that we have a problem. Someone snuck into a warehouse we turned into a hospital and killed twenty-four of our wounded soldiers."

"WHAT," Gabrielle exploded from her place in the bed, setting the sheets on fire. She jumped out of the bed and with a snap of her fingers doused the flames before hastily pulling on a pair of silk trousers and a shirt.

Oberyn was smart enough to quickly avert his eyes when he saw Gabrielle get out of the bed and felt Aurora's eyes boring into the top of his head. Taking hold of the door Aurora said, "Wake the others and make your way downstairs, we'll see you at the entrance to the pyramid." When he nodded and ran off, she slammed the door shut and turned to her wife who was already putting on her armor.

They both dressed in record time and once fully armored up they left the room and headed for those of the others. They found the other three already waiting on the terrace and once they stood there, Aurora jumped from the edge and into the darkness that covered the tip of the pyramid. She changed in the cover of the night before coming to a halt before the terrace. Luckily Yagathai was able to keep his awe in check and they quickly climbed over her neck until they were seated above her shoulders.

Aurora glided down towards the city and landed with a heavy THUD in the gardens of the Great Pyramid. Aurora changed again before anyone could see them in the darkness and they waited for Oberyn to come running out of the pyramid. To their relieve they found their horses already waiting, with the exception of Ironhide who came running when Ivan whistled for him.

Oberyn was quick to mount his own horse, a black sand steed from Dorne and he rushed out of the gates with the others close behind him.

He led them for a few minutes through the maze of the city until they reached a warehouse besides the harbor. They dismounted there and Oberyn pointed towards the doors. Two clear pools of blood and drag marks showed where the two guards had been assassinated and dragged away. They made their way into the building where lanterns were burning everywhere and two score Forlorn were now guarding the place.

Two dozen field beds had been placed in the room with wounded Forlorn from the battle. Each and every one of the wounded had their throats cut and their Valyrian Steel equipment, which had been stored beneath the beds was stolen.

They looked around for a while and soon Aurora found what they were looking for. "Over here," the others quickly gathered around her and she pointed to a small pool of blood on the floor, "This is not from one of ours, the guards must have fought back."

"Can you find them?" Oberyn asked hesitatingly looking between Aurora and Gabrielle.

"Should be easy," Gabrielle replied before swiping a finger of her gauntlet through the blood. She smelled it before letting the others do the same. Once all four had the scent they spread out through the warehouse to find a trail to follow.

It was Francine who found it and once she pointed the others in the right direction Aurora ordered the present guards, "Half of you come with us, the other half go the docks and the gates and seal the city, no one leaves this city until I say so." All the Forlorn saluted and half of them followed them out and waited while they mounted up.

The trail led them through the city for near half an hour before they reached a seemingly deserted shop that was built against the city wall.

"Surround the building," Gabrielle ordered the Forlorn who immediately did as she said. Once they were in position, Ivan kicked the door down and he and Yagathai stormed through the door, followed directly by the Ladies and Francine and Oberyn entered last, staying in the doorway.

At first the room seamed empty but then their enhanced hearing caught some shuffling sounds coming from below the floor. Aurora raised her hand to her mouth and motioned for the others to be silent. She motioned to below them and then to the mace and hammer Ivan and Yagathai were wielding. They both nodded before softly moving to above two of the support beams that held up the floor while the Ladies moved over two more with their great axes in hand.

Raising her left hand, Aurora slowly counted down on her fingers and when she reached zero, all four brought their weapons down on the support beams and the entire floor sunk into the ground with them on it.

They fell for only a few yards and landed in a subterranean room near twice the size of the one above. They found what they were looking for though. Near two score men, dressed in leather armor where storing the stolen weapons and armors in wooden crates.

"Spare a few," Aurora said before slamming her axe down on the head of the nearest man, splitting him from head to groin. The other three likewise shot into action and the slaughter began as they butchered their way through the hopelessly outmatched men. Suddenly a door shot open and a score more men came running in with weapons drawn. They were let by a steel-clad portly man of average height with a pale face and small pig-like eyes.

"YOU," Oberyn roared from above them before he jumped into the hole and engaged the man in a duel. Meanwhile Francine shot down a hail of arrows at an almost frightening speed, killing near all of the reinforcements.

Within four minutes the fight was over besides the duel between Oberyn and his opponent. Despite his portly build, the man was quick and he fought good. Also he was greatly helped by the fact that Oberyn was obviously a little lost in his rage, as he yelled and screamed incoherently as he wildly swung and stabbed at the man.

"Ivan grab him," Aurora said and motioned at Oberyn. She waited till he had done so before she slammed her axe against the other man's head.

"LET ME GO!" Oberyn roared while Ivan held his hands in his iron grip. "LET ME GO, I'M GONNE KILL HIM! THAT MONSTER KILLED MY SISTER!"

"So I'm guessing that's Amory Lorch," Gabrielle said while Ivan handed Oberyn to Yagathai to hold him as Ivan bound his hands behind his back.

He kept roaring and yelling until Francine slapped him in the face and said, "Now you shut your mouth or I will slap you again. They promised you can kill him and you can, after we are done interrogating him, so behave, be good, and then you can have his head." This calmed him down a bit and he stopped trying to slam the back of his head into Yagathai's face.

Along with three others, Lorch was bound up and thrown upstairs by Ivan while the other three entered the door Lorch and his cronies had come from. They found a second room with the beginnings of a tunnel aimed towards the wall but not much else.

They turned back to the main chamber and helped Ivan with tossing the crates with stolen equipment up to the Forlorn that had come in to catch them. Once that was all done with, they themselves jumped up and left the hole behind.

They made their way back to the Great Pyramid, their prisoners in tow and there the four men were dropped in the gardens. Once they had made sure they were alone and away from prying eyes, Gabrielle removed her gauntlet and approached Amory Lorch and his three compatriots.

She took one of the three first, pressing her bare hand against his head and breaking his mind open. After a minute she removed her hand and the man slumped to the ground while she moved on to the next. Ivan walked up to the now brain-dead man and dropped his mace on his head, ending his life.

Lorch looked on terrified as Gabrielle finished with the second and then the third, before Ivan ended their lives once Gabrielle was done. Finally they were all gathered around Lorch, looking down on his bound form as it lay on the ground.

Drawing her short sword, Aurora cut the gag from his mouth and while she placed the tip of the sword on his throat she asked threateningly, "Now… are you going to answer my questions or does my wife have to pull them from your mind by force. "

"NO, NO, NO," he yelled quickly, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Good," Aurora smiled grimly, "let's begin shall we." It was a rhetoric question but Lorch nodded none the less.

"Okay first of all, what the fuck are you doing in this city and why did you kill our soldiers?"

"My group was send here as guards to Lord Tywin's ambassador who was in turn send to negotiate an alliance between Ghiscar and the three cities of Slaver's Bay."

"And where can we find this ambassador?" Gabrielle asked while Aurora whistled to the nearest unit of Forlorn to come to them.

"In the Pyramid of the House of Loraq, there is a secret basement beneath the main entrance that opens when you turn the 2nd, 5th, and 7th torch holder on the right side of the hall."

Aurora immediately turned to Yagathai and pointed to the two score Forlorn that had assembled. "Take these soldiers and get me that ambassador. I want everyone in that basement brought to us, alive, so no random bloodshed."

"Yes Goddess," the Sothoryi said with a bow before hurrying off out of the garden with the Forlorn on his heels.

When they were gone Aurora turned back to Lorch and asked, "Now, why did you kill our soldiers?"

"The ambassador ordered us to, as he wished to bring the armors as a gift to Lord Tywin."

This reply caused a soft growl from Aurora before she continued her questioning, "How large a force does Tywin have at his disposal and who are his current allies?"

At this question he paled visibly and stuttered, "I… I… d… don't k… know." When Gabrielle raised her bare hand threateningly he added with panic in his voice, "I swear I don't know how many men he has, and the only ally is Qarth as far as I know."

"Are there Wyverns in Ghiscar?" Gabrielle asked after letting him stew in panic for a minute before she lowered her hand.

"No, not native. They buy the eggs from a merchant in Asshai and then hatch and raise them by hand. There are many dozens of young ones but only a handful of adults."

"How did you and the Mountain escape from King's Landing after the sack, and how did you get to Ghiscar? Rhaegar send out over 15.000 men to search for you two."

"Pycelle hid us in one of the secret tunnels and we stayed there until the Ghiscari attacked King's Landing then we used the confusion to escape the city. We split up when we had left the city and made our own ways for Casterly Rock as Lord Tywin wanted us to free the remainder of his family which was held prisoner there.

Clegane headed for his own keep and only later I heard that he had killed his parents and that his little brother and sister are missing.

I went straight for Lannisport and gathered a few dozen Lannister loyalists to infiltrate Casterly Rock once Clegane arrived. We succeeded and brought everyone to Pentos by way of a Qartheen trade ship that left from Lannisport that same night. In Pentos we took ship on a Ghiscari galley which brought us to New Ghis."

"Which members of Tywin's family did you extricate from Casterly Rock?"

"Lord Tywin's brother Kevan and his Wife Dorna and son Lancel. His sister Lady Genna with her husband Emmon Frey and their sons Cleos, Lyonel, and the newborn Tion. His brother Tygett and his pregnant wife Lady Darlessa Marbrand. And finally his brother in law Ser Stafford Lannister with his wife Lady Myranda Lefford and son Daven.

His brother Gerion was not at Casterly Rock as Tywin send him on an expedition to recover Brightroar from the ruins of Valyria, almost two years ago now."

Upon hearing this the four High Commanders shared a look before Aurora turned her attention back to Lorch. "We come from Valyria but we haven't seen a single sign of his presence."

Before Lorch could respond to that, Yagathai re-appeared with more than a dozen bound prisoners behind him, one of which caused Oberyn to growl upon seeing him. Three were old men in tokars, four were women in colorful dresses, six were children and one was a Westerosi man. The last man was around forty name days, had a strong build with broad shoulders and short blond hair. He had a short-cropped blond beard and was dressed in a red silk tunic embroidered with small golden lions.

"Well, well, well," Gabrielle smiled softly to herself, she and Aurora had immediately recognized the man from the memories she had taken from the three corpses laying at their feet. "Tywin's very own brother graces us with his presence. Welcome Kevan, I do hope you have enjoyed your stay here."

Kevan Lannister was dragged forward by Yagathai who forced him on his knees and made him look up to the four High Commanders. Oberyn, who was still bound after his attempt at taking Lorch's life, was once more struggling against his bonds, and only Ivan's massive gauntlet held him in place.

"I'm worth more to you alive than dead," Kevan began with a touch of desperation in his voice, "Tywin will pay you my weight in gold for my safe return."

"O I know he will," Aurora said with a feral grin, "But first you are coming with us to take a little tour over yesterday's battlefield. We wouldn't want you to go back to Tywin without the proper information for him." The almost bloodthirsty grins of the Valyrians worried Kevan more than Aurora's words did.

His mood was not helped much by what happened next; Oberyn was released from his bonds and given back his spear, with the very clear instruction that he was only to vent his rage on Lorch, which he promptly did.

Oberyn took nearly five minutes to first stab and slice his various body parts, then dismember him, and finally he disemboweled him. When he, very surprisingly, still moaned softly after that, he snatched the spear of a nearby Forlorn and drove it through Lorch's skull, nailing it firmly to the ground.

"Feeling better?" Aurora asked dryly as Oberyn leaned panting on the spear, twisting it around in the mass of broken skull and brain matter.

Oberyn merely glared at her before turning his blood-crazed eyes on Kevan. Bringing an immediate end to his vengeful ambitions, Ivan stepped in front of Kevan and Yagathai joined him in seconds. The two towering figures were enough to make Oberyn snap out of his bloodlust and he looked down on Lorch's broken corps. After a few seconds he spat at the ruined head and muttered, "I need a drink." Turning briskly around, he grabbed his own spear from the ground, and marched off in the direction of the city, looking for a good place to get drunk.

Gabrielle snapped her fingers and five Forlorn jumped to attention, one of which first pulled his spear out of the bloody mess on the ground. "Follow him but don't get in his way. Keep him out of trouble, if he get's himself drunk that's fine, but don't let him hurt anyone, including himself."

After a chorus of "Yes, My Lady," the five soldiers hurried off after the Dornish prince while the remaining Valyrians began making preparations for their trip towards the battlefield later that day.

XXX

Two hours later Kevan had been bound on a horse and forced to follow the Valyrians towards the site of yesterdays battle. They didn't went alone though, some five-thousand Forlorn marched behind them along with every cart and wagon that could be found in the city. During the hour long trip Kevan was submitted to an extensive interrogation, including the questions Lorch hadn't known the answer to.

"So Kevan," Aurora began on a nonchalant tone, "shall we play a little game?"

"What kind of game?" Kevan asked suspiciously.

"The kind where I ask you questions and you will answer them truthfully, and believe me, I know when people are lying to me. Every time you lie, I'll cut of a finger joint, to begin with your sword hand." This blunt reply caused Kevan to pale dramatically and he nodded mutely.

"Good." Aurora grinned viciously as she maneuvered her huge black destrier to the right side of Kevan's smaller grey palfrey before starting her interrogation. "First of all, what is the current military strength of Ghiscar?"

After some internal debate, not helped by the knife that suddenly appeared in Aurora's left hand, he answered. "Not as good as we would have liked. They have a standing army of some four legions, each six-thousand men in lock-step formations, but they are citizen soldiers, not professional soldiers. Added to each legion is a slave soldier contingent of equal size, all on foot. Their cavalry is mainly focused around a chariot core, of some four- to five -hundred chariots, which is formed by the nobility.

One entire legion with slave contingent was wiped out when they attacked King's Landing, so they have three of each left."

Aurora shook her head disappointedly and said, "Tut, tut, tut, you disappoint me Kevan, here I thought we could do this civilly, but apparently not." Reaching over with her knife, she grabbed his bound hands but before she could act on her threat,

"STOP, STOP," Kevan yelled with panic clear in his voice and on his face. "They had eight legions, and now they have seven left."

With a gleeful smile on her face Aurora replied, "See, now was that so difficult?" What she didn't tell Kevan, was that while she was talking to him, Gabrielle had been subtly worming her way into his mind. This enabled Gabrielle, and through their bond Aurora as well, to know the true answer on each question before he spoke them and consequently if he was lying or not. It was a hassle to do, but considering their future plans for Kevan, they couldn't just mind-rape him as they did with most they wanted to interrogate.

"Now on to the next one," Aurora said, still with that same smile on her face. "Which Alliances does Ghiscar currently have, besides the one with Qarth?"

"None," Kevan replied quickly, shaken that she had recognized his little lie for what it was. "I was sent to Meereen to negotiate an alliance. Tywin hoped that if Meereen agreed to an Alliance, Yunkai and Astapor would ask him for an alliance as well, giving Tywin a stronger position to negotiate from.

At this Aurora nodded gladly, one of the fears she and Gabrielle had had was that Ghiscar had already allied itself to others of the Free Cities, but with that not being the case, she asked on, "What is the military strength of Qarth?"

After some thinking Kevan replied, "Qarth has the civic guard, which is organized similarly as the Ghiscari legions but without the slave contingent, one of them was sent to Bloodstone to escort the Ghiscari attack force that assaulted King's Landing. The Civic Guard is a somewhat well trained army, but their allegiances are divided. Each of the major factions in the city maintains and equips their own legions. These factions are, The Pureborn, The Thirteen, The Tourmaline Brotherhood, The Ancient Guild of Spicers, and the Warlocks.

Of these the Pureborn are the most powerful, capable of fielding five legions, and the warlocks the weakest barely managing to field one, as their power lies not in manpower but in magic, or the parlor tricks they try to pass of as magic. The others can field around three legions each.

Their cavalry is attached to each legion in units of between four- and five-hundred, mainly composed of camel riders. Besides the added height, these also have the advantage that camels scare horses with their scent.

Also based in Qarth is the assassins guild of the Sorrowful Men, an organization only surpassed by the Faceless Men from Braavos in terms of success and fear."

Aurora nodded softly whilst calculating the numbers in her head. If what he said was true then that meant Tywin had currently some one-hundred-and-eighty-thousand men at his disposal, with an unknown number of men that could be trained. "How many men can be added to those numbers if they are needed?"

Thinking deeply again, Kevan raised his shoulders and shook his head. "I honestly do not know, but if I have to guess I'd say maybe some fifty- to sixty-thousand for Ghiscar, and maybe one-and-a-halve times that number for Qarth. I also heard a rumor that Tywin was considering hiring mercenaries from Yi Ti, but he refused to answer when I asked him about it."

"What is the size of the war- and transport fleets of Ghiscar and Qarth?" This point was of special interest to them, as it would directly influence Tywin's ability to transport and deploy his armies.

After some head scratching Kevan replied, "Not sure about Qarth, it has an immense trading fleet that's split between The Thirteen that have around 1,000, the Guild of Spicers which has around 1,200, and the Tourmaline Brotherhood that controls around 800. For the war fleet though…. They are all large, ornate, and powerful galleys that control the straits between the Jade- and Summer Sea's but their numbers could be anywhere between 100 and 300.

As for Ghiscar, their trade fleet is less impressive than Qarth's maybe around 1,500 ships. Their war fleet though has been quite formidable for a considerable time, around 500 galleys, but Tywin is planning to expand on that."

"Hmm," Aurora mused softly to herself. That could be a problem, as though their own fleet was massive, it was smaller in size than the Qartheen, but besides the Iron Fleet which was mostly smaller longships, and the Braavosi fleet, they had only few dedicated warships. It was something they would have to work on once they returned to Valyria.

Turning back to Kevan she asked, "What quality is their equipment compared to that of the forces that attacked King's Landing?"

"What the forces who attacked King's Landing wore is the standard equipment of every soldier. Only the royal guard, named the Sons of the Harpy, are clad in gilded mail and the charioteers supply their own equipment so that can vary greatly. Weapons are pretty basic, swords, spears and the occasional axe. The main ranged weapons are crossbows and slingers, archers are very rare."

"Hmm," Aurora mused softly before adding in reply, "I assume Tywin is making plans to update that equipment, is he not?"

Kevan nodded and said, "He is, but he is hampered in those efforts by one crucial fact, the island of New Ghis has no iron mines, and so they cannot make their own steel. They are wholly reliant on import from the mainland of Essos for their steel. They are rich in gold mines, and silver also, so they have the money to buy it, but the main suppliers were Yunkai and Astapor, which have been lost to them."

"Yea, that might have been our doing," Aurora grinned, "We already took both cities and they have been destroyed utterly and completely. The same fate which awaits Meereen once we are done with the city."

Kevan looked a little surprised and also slightly curious as he now asked, "But why destroy them, aren't they worth far more to you if they are fully functioning and if trade flows between them."

"Well Kevan," Aurora replied with a sad smile, "The cities of Slaver's Bay were, and Meereen still is, totally and utterly corrupt. Just taking the cities would not have been enough to end slavery. We have destroyed their armies on the walls or in the field, but if we don't weed out the corruption and the suffering from the core of the cities, it will eventually resurface and cause all sorts of trouble. And besides, we can use the manpower, we need to rebuild a lot if Valyria is to return to its former glory."

"I can understand that reasoning," Kevan accepted with a graceful nod.

"Good," Aurora continued her questioning. "Now what is happening in Ghiscar right now, how was Tywin received? I know Cersei was supposed to marry the Emperor of Ghiscar, but has she? And what is Tywin doing, and Jaimie?"

"Cersei was married three days after we arrived on New Ghis, and by the time I left for Meereen, she was already pregnant. Tywin's main focus for now is to rearrange the workings of the Ghiscari empire and to gain the materials and funds he needs to build the Ghiscari army up to what he wants it to become.

As for Jaimie, he has fallen out with both his father and his sister, a rare thing I assure you especially in regards to his sister, and he spends his days with drinking and picking fights against the young nobles that form the Sons of the Harpy. He also has taken a liking to one of the palace's pleasure slaves and claimed her for his own exclusive use, locking her in his rooms during the day. His father has allowed him his antics for now, but I fear that if he continues Tywin will intercede and that could become ugly, as both are very headstrong and stubborn."

"Interesting," Aurora mused softly to herself, "And what of his youngest child, what does he think about the fact that Tyrion has been named heir to Casterly Rock and future Warden of the West?"

"He was furious when he heard it," Kevan had to suppress a shiver as he remembered his brother's rage at hearing the news. "He raged for hours and went on and on about Tyrion being an utter disgrace to his name and how he would destroy his legacy. When I told him his legacy was already as bad as it could be in Westeros, he nearly drew his sword on me and only the presence of Cersei saved me from his wrath."

"That's got to suck," Francine interjected from the other side of Kevan where she rode on a snow white courser she had found in the stables of the Great Pyramid. "How did that make you feel Kevan, knowing that your very own brother almost attacked you for stating a fact?"

Kevan swallowed some bile as he remembered the fateful incident, "Tywin has always had a tight rein on his emotions, but since his escape from the Black Cells, he has grown a bit paranoid. Especially any mention of Tyrion or his own disgrace in Westeros can set him off in a rage."

What he did not tell them, but what Gabrielle saw in his mind was that Tywin's late wife Joanna, had confided in him during her pregnancy and said that she feared that Tyrion was not Tywin's, as Aerys had raped her once when she still lived in King's Landing. Shortly after the rape she fled the capital and a few weeks after her return to Casterly Rock, she found out she was pregnant.

She had begged him not to tell Tywin and instead to help her in protecting the child, as if Tywin ever found out that Aerys had raped her, he would no doubt rise in rebellion and then House Lannister would be destroyed by the Targaryen armies.

When Joanna had died in childbirth, Kevan had watched carefully as the young Tyrion was ignored and despised by his father, tormented by his sister, and doted upon by his brother and Genna. Never in the twelve years since that day had he spoken a word about Joanna's fears concerning who Tyrion's sire really was, and he was determined to take that little piece of information to his grave.

XXX

When they finally arrived at the battlefield, Kevan was shocked by the sight. Acres upon acres upon acres were covered by the dead. Corpses lay on the ground as far as the eye could see, tens- upon tens-of-thousands must have died and seeing as almost all wore the padded linen and bronze-sewn tunics of the Meereenese, or the leathers of the Dothraki, it was no question who was responsible.

"We killed around fifty-thousand of the Meereenese and the survivors are all captured. The thirty thousand Dothraki are all killed." Aurora's words again caused a shiver to run over his back and he swallowed the nausea that threatened to make him ill. The sickly sweet smell of death hung over the entire valley and as he continued to look he saw that carrion birds had already begun to eat their fill from the fallen.

What he was surprised to not see was the usual battlefield plunderers. Normally as soon as a battle was done, the field would be flooded by camp followers and bandits who stripped the dead of their valuables and everything that could be used again. Here however, not a single corpse appeared to be plundered. The reason for this, he could only assume, was the presence of several thousand mounted soldiers, who all appeared to be Dornish, that were patrolling the battlefield.

"This, Kevan, is the fate that will await any who dare to stand against us. So you had better tell Tywin that he steps up his efforts, as when we move against Ghiscar, we will not make the mistake of the old Valyrians. When we come, we will destroy everything and everyone, and we will salt the earth when we are done."

This was a small exaggeration, but by the looks of it, it did the job. Kevan looked extremely serious and was silent as he surveyed the battlefield. This might have seemed stupid to an outsider, but she and Gabrielle had discussed this point extensively with Ivan and Francine. They needed Tywin to do his utmost to raise armies, as the more they defeated, the more they could capture and the more they could turn into Forlorn.

They would need the soldiers in the war against the White Walkers, but their conscience prevented them from just mind-wiping everyone they came across, so this was the only way out they could see. It would almost certainly ensure that the war against Tywin would be long and hard, but this was a small offer to bring when compared to the threat of the Long Night.

The nearly fifty-thousand prisoners they had taken the previous day would all be turned into Forlorn eventually, but for now they had been disarmed and locked up under guard. They would be kept apart from the population, along with everyone else they found to be 'morally corrupt'. Since the mental effort required to turn them all would take weeks, if not months depending on the final number, it was a task they would postpone until after the first wave of new settlers had left for Valyria as, even with their enormous fleet, it would take several trips back and forth to transport all of the inhabitants.

As they sat there looking around them in silence, the five-thousand Forlorn that had come with them from the city went to work. They began loading the dead on the carts they had brought and bring them back to the city. Aurora had ordered that the battlefield had to be stripped completely of the dead and all equipment they had dropped. The weapons, shields, and other loose items were loaded on separate carts and would later be recycled or re-used.

The tens-of-thousands of horses they had captured from the Dothraki were still in the corral that was the bulge of the canyon. They would stay there for a few days until they were ready to be loaded onboard of the ships for the journey to Valyria. The corral was rich with grass so they would have enough fodder for maybe a week, but the size of the herd did mean that they would eventually have to be brought to the canyon before Meereen when the fodder ran out.

It took several hours for the field to be cleared and during that time, Aurora gave Kevan a rundown of the highlights of the battle. The only thing she deliberately left out was the fact that they had used giants, and the size of their heavy cavalry. The giants had also been carefully hidden in the city in the middle of the night, and besides the Valyrian army, none were aware of their presence. The giants were one thing they were determined to not let Tywin know about as if he did not know, he could not prepare for them and it would be easier to beat him.

XXX

The massive Valyrian fleet, after confiscating the ships from Meereen now counting some twenty-eight-hundred ships of varying sizes, would need a total of three trips to transport all the people back to Valyria. Another trip was needed for the horses and giants and nearly six months would pass before the last ships left the harbor of Meereen. They had liberated some five-hundred-and-sixty-thousand slaves and after what the liberated slaves named the 'Purging of the Masters', around a hundred-thousand freemen were left to travel with them.

What remained of the Dothraki horde, mostly women and children and a few thousand of the younger warriors of Khal Bharbo's old Khalasar had surprisingly rallied behind the young Drogo, the son of Khal Bharbo. They had proclaimed him Khal after he had killed several of Mengo's guards that were left in the camp with his bare hands. They mostly kept to themselves and stayed out of the way of the mounted companies that patrolled the surrounding area around Meereen.

Seeing as they simply could not move the entire population in one trip, they had to find a way to keep the peace while they ferried their new settlers to Valyria. As a warning to any would-be troublemakers, and to discourage any attempt at unrest or rebellion, Aurora, Francine and a dozen mounted Forlorn rode away from the city a few days after its capture. When they were well into the canyon road and far out of sight from the city, Aurora dismounted and gave the reins of her destrier to Francine who ordered her own horse and the others into a gallop back towards the edge of the canyon road.

When the others were far enough away, Aurora rolled her shoulders and started to change into her dragon form. Once her transformation was complete, she unfolded her wings and slowly rose into the midday sky. At a relaxed speed she flew towards the city and slowly circled above it, making sure her shadow drew the attention of everyone below.

After a few minutes, she suddenly brought her wings down with powerful thrusts and quickly rose into the sky. When she was at a height of roughly ten-thousand feet, she folded her wings and dove down towards the city, heading straight for the Great Pyramid. A mere six-hundred feet above the tip of the pyramid, she stretched her wings and with a crash that shook the city, she landed on the top of the Great Pyramid.

Grasping the great golden harpy that stood on the tip between her jaws, she flung it away, giving it the appearance of flying until it crashed down against the wall of another pyramid. Using her claws she then tore apart the top of the pyramid, throwing debris hundreds of yards around the city.

When she had removed nearly the full upper third of the Pyramid, she drew back on her hind legs and inhaled. She blasted the ruins in dragonflame, melting the stones and then molding it with her claws to form a nest. When she was satisfied with its shape, she curled into it and promptly fell asleep for a nice little afternoon nap.

After a few hours she roused herself again and let out a roar that silenced the entire city. Standing back up, she stretched her wings and flew off, back to the canyon road where Francine was still waiting with the others. Deciding to throw in a little extra, she swooped down into the canyon before Meereen and swiped her tail at a rock-pillar.

The pillar was shattered by the force of the impact, but Aurora could also feel that she had hit it wrong, but decided to pretend like the hit had been a slight miscalculation instead of a deliberate assault. Even as she flew she could feel that at least three of her spikes had been displaced, as they stood at awkward angles. They had broken the skin beneath the scales and she could feel the boiling blood drip from the tears.

She landed heavily, as close to Francine and the Forlorn as she dared without spooking the horses and showed her tail to the Amazon general. Francine jumped off her horse when she smelled the blood and quickly inspected the massive tail. "You dislocated a few spikes," Francine confirmed Aurora's suspicions after carefully inspecting the damaged area.

Taking a hold on the first massive spike, Francine grunted as she used all her not inconsiderable strength to force it back into it's socket. A soft snarl, which none the less echoed through the canyon, escaped the dragon's lips, but when Francine looked, the massive head nodded for her to continue with the next spike. After a few minutes of wrenching the spikes, each the size of a great sword, she managed to put them all back in their correct place and to her relief, the torn skin started to knit itself back together as soon as she was done.

When she was fully healed again, Aurora turned back to her human form and couldn't help but try to scratch an annoying itch on her tailbone, a job which was made considerably more difficult by the several layers of armor that covered the area. As she approached Francine, she saw the amazon looking at her with an amused grin.

"What are you grinning about?" She asked a bit irritated as the itch persisted despite her efforts to scratch it.

"Just you," Francine answered with a chuckle. "You are probably one of the most powerful beings on Planetos, but here you are, trying to scratch an itch on your ass as if you were a beggar from Flea Bottom."

"O shut up," Aurora grumbled, "the least you could do is help me scratch, you know our enhanced healing leaves an itch like crazy."

"O please admit it already," Francine replied with a shit-eating grin. "You just want me touch your ass."

With a huff Aurora snapped her fingers and said to the nearest Forlorn, "You, give me an arrow." The soldier immediately complied and drew an arrow from the quiver that hung from his saddle and handed it to her. She snapped the tip off and used it to shape the broken end of the shaft to a rounded form. Hollowing her back as far as possible in her armor, she inserted the arrow via the back of her neck and pushed it all the way down. Just barely reaching the spot, she used the arrow to scratch her tailbone, to the great amusement of Francine who had trouble staying on her horse.

It took nearly three minutes of scratching before the itch had subsided and Aurora removed the arrow from beneath her armor. After handing it and the broken tip back to the soldier, who put it back into his quiver, she mounted her destrier and the group rode back in the direction of Meereen.

When they rode past the Dothraki camp, a quartet of riders left in a gallop and came towards them. Both Ladies recognized the one in front as the young Khal Drogo, and behind him where who they thought to be his three bloodriders. All three were young, around fifteen namedays, the same age as Drogo himself. Despite their relative youth, all four carried themselves with the confidence of seasoned warriors and held a firm grip on their arakhs as they rode fast to intercept Aurora's little party.

The Forlorn immediately moved to intercept them but Aurora stopped their attempt by silently raising her hand. She removed her helmet and hung it on a hook on her saddle before sitting unmoving upon her black destrier as the four Dothraki came riding towards her. Speaking in fluent Dothraki, Aurora greeted them calmly. "Good morning Drogo, son of Bharbo."

"Dragon Queen," Drogo replied with a tip of his chin. Indicating his companions in turn he introduced them, "These are Cohollo, Qotho and Haggo, they are blood of my blood."

"Nice to meet you," Aurora nodded to the men, before turning to Drogo. "But I am no queen Drogo,"

"Not yet," Francine muttered so softly that only Aurora could hear.

Drogo grunted before getting to his point. "My Khalasar is small, and many of my warriors are wounded and weakened, if we head out into the great grass sea as we are now, we will be destroyed by the first real Khalasar we meet." Aurora nodded in agreement, guessing where he was heading, though he did surprise her with what he did next.

"Our ways of war and life have failed us, allowing my father to be killed and my people to be enslaved." He dismounted his horse, stabbed his arakh into the ground and said, "This cannot go on for longer. My people need to be united, to stand together under one leader with one purpose. To ensure this happens, I propose a trade. I will follow you to the land of the dragons, I will fight in your wars against your enemies, and I will ensure my people follow your laws. In return you will train me and my warriors to fight as you do, you will dress us in those iron suits, and you will help me to unite my people behind my banner."

As he finished his passionate speech, the other three dismounted their own horses and stabbed their arakhs into the ground next to Drogo's. Taking out small knifes, they formed a triangle around Drogo and they each made a deep cut in their left hand. Raising their bleeding palms to the sky Cohollo proclaimed, "Blood of My Blood, when next we stand in the shadow of the Mother of Mountains, on the shore of the Womb of the World, The Dosh Khaleen shall name you..." the other two then joined him in shouting,

"Khal of Khal's, The Stallion who Mounts the World!" In turn the three bloodriders squeezed their left hands above Drogo's head, making a stream of blood pour into his hair, as if to anoint him. As they squeezed, each man said in turn,

"By my blood this is spoken, and by my blood this shall be done."

Once they finished they each wrapped a piece of cloth around the cut before Aurora said, "Wait, allow me." She dismounted her destrier and while she removed her right gauntlet she strode over to the four men. Taking a hold of Cohollo's hand first, she unwrapped the cloth and bared the cut again. Lighting the tip of her index finger in ruby fire, she dragged it past the cut and so sealed the wound, burning away any chance of infection. As Cohollo looked at the seared flesh of his hand, Aurora repeated the procedure with Qotho and Haggo.

When she was finished, they all mounted their horses again and after a short goodbye, the four Dothraki rode off back to their camp to inform their people about what was going to happen. And so Drogo became the first Khal to lead his people onto ships and sail across the 'Poison Water', towards Valyria.

Mengo and Horro had been handed over to Harry Strickland and Tatters, who spend several days with making sure both Dothraki understood the error of their ways. Harry waited with executing them until after Aurora had re-forged the Valyrian Steel Arakh of Horro, which Tatters had recognized as having once belonged to Caggo, a lieutenant of his that had been killed during the battle of Tyrosh. The arakh had been turned into a beautiful blackened longsword with a golden handle and cross guard. When he had named it Blackheart in honor of Myles Toyne, Caggo, and all the others they had lost to Horro's treachery, Aurora added a blackened heart as pommel, made from a solid piece of Valyrian Steel.

The original forty-six-thousand prisoners had become fifty-thousand, more than quadrupling their number of Forlorn to seventy-thousand men. This in addition to the amazons of which they had freed some ten-thousand in the city, sellswords, Unsullied, and Dornish, meant that their armed forces had now grown to around one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand soldiers.

They were very careful to keep the full extent of their forces a secret from Kevan, so as far as he knew, they had 'only' around fifty-thousand men, and they made sure Kevan looked closely at the forces he was allowed to see.

The majority of their forces, all the normal soldiers and most of the newly recruited Forlorn were send away with the first trip of the fleet, to make sure that everything would go smoothly when the Meereenese arrived. Their numbers would more than double their population and raise it to some, one-million-five-hundred-thousand, not including their army and the fleet which, considering its size also counted some one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand sailors, including Ironborn. Aurora, Gabrielle, Ivan, Francine, Oberyn, Yagathai, Harry and Tatters were amongst the first to depart.

Argyll had been named temporary governor of Meereen and would stay behind with the unsullied and a force of some thirty-thousand Forlorn to keep the peace and protect the city should someone try to take it by force.

Kevan Lannister would come with them part of the way until he would be put on a ship back to Ghiscar. He along with the remains of Lorch, Master Allazar, and several others would serve nicely to send a message to Tywin.

Author's note :

So that is that, 22.500 words for a single event. I had to introduce quite a few characters so I didn't want to half-ass it, as some of them will get a rather significant impact on the story later on.

With this chapter finished, we are getting ever closer to the end of book one. I hope you all enjoyed it and please leave me a review.

Medieval Maniak.